Prologue: Petals in the Wind
by rulerofwind
Summary: So what exactly happened between Temari and Shikamaru before Petals in the Wind? Well, read on to find out. Written for those who have read Petals in the Wind and rated T for language.
1. Chapter 1

Hey everyone! I'm working my way towards more chapters in Petals in the Wind, but I decided to do something. So here's a prologue for Petals in the Wind, written for the purpose of clarifying any confusion that may be present about the situation between Temari and Shikamaru. I'm still thinking about bringing him back into the story somehow, and if I do, I want it to be awesome. So let me know what you think of this, and keep an eye out for updates :)

* * *

Prologue: Before Petals in the Wind

A young couple walked down the streets of Konoha, hand in hand and just enjoying themselves. The blonde girl was laughing nonstop as the normally lazy chocolate-haired boy was putting his best effort forth to keep his girlfriend happy.

"So Shika, what are we doing today?"

"I actually hadn't thought about that. As long as I'm with you, Tema-chan, I don't care what we do." Shikamaru said. Temari laughed. Even after two long years (she's 20, he's 18), Shikamaru still hadn't changed a bit.

"You're lucky I'm used to you now. Hmm, should we go get something to eat?"

"That sounds nice. How about some barbecue?"

"Okay." Temari smiled and they made their way to the restaurant.

'Maybe now I can tell him...'

When they got there, they took a booth toward the back so they could have more privacy.

'Yes! It'll be much easier to tell him now!' Temari thought. When they got to the booth they saw the one next to it was occupied. And who else was it occupied by but...

"Oi! Choji, Ino!" Shikamaru called. The two turned from their lunch and their faces lit up from seeing the couple.

"Shikamaru, Temari. What's up?" Ino asked.

"Just grabbing some lunch." Temari said. She loved them, she honestly did, but this just wasn't the time for this.

"Oh, we'll join you. We just got here ourselves." Choji decided, already moving the table around so it was one large table. Temari sighed and took a seat. She didn't have the heart to deny her lover's best friends. The rest of the time, they ate and the team laughed and chatted. Temari joined in whenever she could, but she wasn't in the mood for it.

"Temari, are you okay?" Ino asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine Ino. No worries." she quickly lied. It seemed like forever until they left, but thankfully Ino's mom needed help at the flower shop. Shikamaru and Choji paid the bill and they walked outside. Ino and Choji said their goodbyes and left, leaving Temari and Shikamaru.

"Tema-chan, what's wrong? You were kinda quiet in there."

"I'm fine. I just thought it'd be you and me _alone_."

"I'm sorry. I promise I'll make it up to you later. But for now let's go cloud watching. Just the two of us." Shikamaru said, taking her hand. She did smile a bit at this. When Shikamaru introduced her to his favorite past time when they started dating, she was pretty pessimistic about it. She'd pegged it as "the past time for lazy idiots". But she quickly found out she was wrong. Shikamaru always picked the best spots with the softest grass and most view of the sky. It was a surprisingly relaxing escape from the world of being a shinobi.

"Fine." she mock pouted. They ran like happy teens all the way to their favorite spot. They both sat down before laying back, Shikamaru pulling Temari closer so that she rested on his chest.

'Okay, now is the perfect time. I have to tell him now.' Temari thought. She closed her eyes, going through the conversation in her mind. She planned exactly what she would say and his possible reactions. To be truthful, she was a bit scared. She loved Shikamaru with all of her heart, but what if he didn't feel the same way she did? Thoughts flooded her mind, breaking down her confidence. She took a breath and forced those thoughts away. There was no way he wouldn't be happy. Right?

"... Tema-chan." Shikamaru whispered, breaking her out of her thoughts.

"Yeah?"

"I have to tell you something."

"What is it Shika?"

"I was assigned a mission earlier today by Tsunade-sama. Asuma and I leave tomorrow morning. We'll be gone for about two or three days." Shikamaru said. All thoughts left Temari's mind and were replaced by one: 'Shikamaru's leaving.'

"Oh..." was all she could say.

"I'm sorry. I wish I had gotten an earlier notice, but it's an emergency mission. It might have to do with Akatsuki."

"Akatsuki?" Great. Not only was he leaving, he was probably going to encounter one of the bastards. But, she was taught to have faith in her teammates, so she would just have to trust that Shikamaru would come back home to her.

"You better be careful Shikamaru. I mean it. I want you to come back home to me." she said in her most intimidating voice. Which wasn't so intimidating, considering her jumbled emotions.

"Of course. I will always come back to you, no matter what. Even death couldn't stop me." he said, leaning down to kiss her forehead. Temari sighed in content, her own news forgotten, and tilted her head to watch the clouds float by.


	2. Chapter 2

Temari paced back and forth through her living room, her thoughts all over the place.

'Where is Shikamaru? How is he? Have they run into an Akatsuki member? Why the hell did I let him go? Why the hell didn't I tell him?'

It'd only been a day and Temari was worried out of her mind. She needed to get out, to talk to someone. Anyone. Maybe Ino was out, or even at the flower shop. Temari decided to find her and left her apartment.

"Haha, it's funny to think that a couple of years ago, I'd cringe at the very thought of being in the same room with Ino." But her time with Shikamaru helped her get used to her. Actually if one could get past her love for Sasuke they'd see she was a pretty nice girl. And with the Uchiha's absence, it was much easier.

* * *

Ino was walking down the street, bag in hand. Good, she wasn't working. She could give Temari her full attention.

"Ino!" she called, catching up to her.

"Oh Temari! How are you?" she happily asked.

"I'm okay. I really miss Shikamaru." she admitted, laughing a bit.

"I know how you feel. I can barely stand it when Choji goes off on missions. But this seems to be different. What is it?" Ino said, having already picked up on her mood.

"Wow, is it that obvious?" she sighed. They had come back to the flower shop and Ino led her to the back room. The shop was closed today, so no one would bother them. There was a table in there and they both sat down.

"Okay, spill."

"I mean, of course Shika has gone on missions before, but come on... the Akatsuki could attack them this time! I want to have faith in them, but what if someone like Hidan gets to them? I don't know what I'd do if I lost him. I can't lose him, not now." Temari said. She hadn't meant to just pour out all of her emotions like that, but she felt it really easy to talk to Ino. And she never told anyone what they talked about, despite people assuming she was an open book.

"I see. It's true that the Akatsuki are dangerous, especially ones like Hidan, but I'm sure Shika will be just fine. I've known him since we were kids, and no matter how lazy the ass is at times, he doesn't give up. He will find a way back to you, and to that." Ino said, pointing to Temari's stomach. Okay, she wasn't prepared for Ino to just guess about that. She was sure her entire face was red from the shock.

"H-how did you-"

"I'm not crazy Temari. Even you wouldn't be this bothered by that one thing alone. So I took a guess on what else it could be. I guess I was right. That's so sweet! Does he know?"

"No. I never found the time."

"Of course. He never would've gone if he found that out. I wouldn't be surprised if he'd go up to Tsunade and tell her to fuck off. Well when he comes back, you have to tell him. No more hiding. He'll be ecstatic." Ino said. Temari smiled a little a nodded.

"Thanks Ino. I really feel better now. Where is Choji today?"

"Oh, he's training with his dad. He's supposed to be meeting me so we can go get lunch soon. Do you want to come with us?"

"No thank you. You two lovebirds have fun. I'll see you later Ino." Temari said, standing up. Ino walked her to the door and watched as she disappeared. Ino then let out a sigh.

'You better come back to her Shikamaru. Or I'll kill you myself.'

* * *

That night, Temari was able to sleep more soundly, now that she'd had a chance to get her worries off of her chest. But tomorrow was another story.

When Temari woke up, she noticed that a storm was raging outside. She was never one for superstitions and she definitely wasn't afraid of storms, so why did this storm unsettle her so much? She tightly pulled the covers back around her body and tried to fall asleep again. After five minutes of trying, she realized that it wasn't going to happen, so she decided to go ahead and start her day. She looked over at her bedside clock and saw it read 11.

'The hell? How could I have overslept that much?' Temari had always been an early riser. 6 or 7 was her normal wake up time. She jumped out of bed and ran to take a shower, her clothing in her arms.

20 minutes later, Temari walked out of her bathroom, feeling refreshed. That storm had yet to stop, so there was no going outside at this time. She decided to get something to eat to distract herself. Her mind was fixated on going to the kitchen, so it surprised her when she caught a heavy scent of booze coming from the living room. All of her muscles tightened and she went into a stealth mode. She crept along the hallway, the smell becoming stronger and less bearable.

'I swear, whatever hobo decided to break into my apartment is going to pay.'

When she got to the living room, she could see the silhouette of the intruder, standing near her window. She timed her attack just right and pounced on him, knocking him to the floor. Temari reached up and turned on the light so she could see him better, and immediately fell back once the room was illuminated.

"S-shika..." she breathed. She stood up and offered her hand, but he smacked it away and stood up himself, although he nearly fell back down doing it.

"Why are you drunk? What happened on the mission? And when were you gonna let me know you were back?" she demanded. Shikamaru ignored her and began to walk past her. She grabbed his shoulder and pulled him back.

"Shikamaru Nara, I want answers." she said.

"Don't do that." and Shikamaru tried to get around her again. Temari reached out to pull him back again, but Shikamaru caught her wrist. He stood there, holding it and glaring at Temari.

"Let go of me!" Temari snarled. She used her other hand to force his hand off of her, then she blocked his way again and pushed him hard enough so that he almost fell again.

"Get the hell out of my way."

"It's my house idiot, and you're not going anywhere until you answer my questions." she said, crossing her arms. That's when Shikamaru tried to run past her. She moved and pushed him back again, and he threw a punch at her.

" Shikamaru, what the hell is wrong with you?" she asked one final time. No answer, so she slapped him as hard as she could, and succeeded in knocking him to the ground. Shikamaru stood up, pissed more than ever, and released a string of punches at her. She dodged and blocked most of them, but some still hit her. Her arms and her cheek were the most damaged. Then Shikamaru aimed where Temari never thought he'd aim. Somehow, he was able to land a punch in her lower stomach, making her double over from the sheer pain. Shikamaru was able to get past her and ran to the kitchen. He grabbed whatever he could: cans, bottles, silverware, pots and pans were all thrown her way. She dodged them, but it wasn't easy with the constant pain in her stomach. She began to back up, when she saw what his goal was.

'He's trying to chase me out of my own home? Hell no!' she didn't dodge another item. They all fell harmlessly at her feet when they hit her wind barrier. The closer she got, the angrier Shikamaru got until he stopped throwing all together and closed his eyes. Temari found herself unable to move and cursed herself for forgetting about his kekkei genkai. He forced her to walk closer, and bound her hands together. He punched her again in the stomach to make her fall to the ground, and he proceeded to pound on her. She couldn't move, so she had no choice but to endure the pain. Darkness lapped at her vision and it became a struggle to stay awake. What the hell happened to him? Why would he even think of treating her like this?

"Shikamaru, what the hell are you doing?" came a voice from her doorway. Temari looked over and saw the forms of Ino, Shikaku and Choji. Shikamaru punched her in the face again and she lost consciousness.

* * *

When Temari woke up, she wished with every fiber of her being that that was just a horrible dream. But the off-white walls told her otherwise. She was definitely in the hospital. She sat up with minimal pain. Sakura must've healed her. Just then, the pink haired kunoichi entered the room, carrying a chart.

"Hey Temari. How are you feeling?" she asked as gently as she could.

"I'm okay I guess. Still hurts, but nothing like before. Why the hell did Shikamaru do this?"

"Well he was drunk. On his mission, Asuma was killed by Hidan. We're surprised everyone else made it back alive." Sakura said, her voice dark. There was something she wasn't telling her.

"Sakura, what else? You're hiding something from me." Temari said. A tear fell out of Sakura's eye and she took a deep breath.

"While you were asleep, Tsunade-sama and I performed a scan on your entire body. We had to put you to sleep and do a... uterine scrape. The baby didn't survive." Sakura said, more tears streaming down her face. "I'm so sorry Temari." she whispered. Temari felt like she'd been thrown down a bottomless pit. She couldn't believe that her baby had died. Someone was just playing a sick joke on her, that was it. She tried to fully sit up, but she felt a pain in her pelvic region. More accurately, her uterus.

"W-what? No, this can't be true."

"It was only 3 weeks old. It could not take the assault. We have to keep you for a couple of days so we can monitor your health." Sakura said. She stood, no longer able to handle the look on Temari's broken face, and left. "Tsunade-sama will be by a little later." she called before her body disappeared.

Temari was shocked. She wanted to cry, but her body refused to allow any tears to come. She was Temari of the desert after all. She could handle anything right? Then why did she feel so broken, so helpless? She hated the feeling, and tried to focus on something else, anything else. But all of her thoughts kept centering on this morning's events. Asuma died, so Shikamaru found it suitable to get drunk, come to her apartment and try to force his way in. And when she fought back, he wailed on her. He killed their baby. She would never forgive him. No matter what, she would never forgive him. She almost laughed.

'What an idiot I've been. Me, of all people, trying to start a family? I gave my everything to that bastard and this is what he does in return? When will I learn that trust only leads to tragedy? No more. I want to go home, and I never want to see this miserable place, ever again.'

When Tsunade got there, she wasn't sure if she should bother the girl or not. She went in cautiously, and sat down on the edge of the bed.

"Tsunade-sama, I would like to request that you call Kankuro. I want to go home." Temari said. Tsunade began to heal her some more, but she nodded.

"I'm so sorry this happened under my watch. If you'd like, I'll take full responsibility before the Kazekage." Tsunade offered.

"Don't be stupid. Like I'd ever let you take this blame. Gaara would rip this village apart. It's Shikamaru's fault, let him take the blame alone. I won't allow any other option. Even if Asuma died, that gives him no excuse to do what he did. I just ask one thing." Temari said.

"What is it?"

"Don't let that bastard near this room, or I may kill him."

"No problem. Is it okay if Ino comes in to talk? She's been here all day."

"Ino? Of course she can come in." Temari answered like she was crazy for even asking. Tsunade nodded, standing up to leave.

"I'll be back tonight to check on you." Tsunade said. Temari nodded and Ino was let into the room.

"Hey Tema-chan." she said.

"It's okay Ino. Come, sit down." Ino sat down, turning to her friend with a face full of sadness.

"I'm sorry. If only we'd gotten there sooner. We got a tip earlier this morning from one of the other shinobi who were there. He said Shikamaru had bought an entire bottle of alcohol on the way home and was chugging it like no tomorrow. Everyone knows he can't hold his liquor so we looked all over the place. We went to the Nara deer clearing, thinking that he'd go there to be alone. It took us forever to search it, and he wasn't there. Then Shikaku asked if he'd go somewhere before coming home. We never imagined he'd go to your apartment in the state he was in, or that he'd attack you. It took Choji and Shikaku together to stop him." Ino explained.

"Ino, it's okay. It's no one's fault but my own. I actually thought I could trust him, and I was weak. I'm going home Ino, and I don't think I'll come back. Kankuro should be on his way very soon." Temari said. Ino's face registered shock for a second, but then it returned to normal.

"If that's what you want. But, I'll miss you."

"And I'll miss you, Choji and everyone else. But it's something I have to do." Temari said. Ino nodded.

"Then I'll just have to come visit you one day."

* * *

Two days later, Kankuro finally arrived and was directed straight to the hospital. Sakura was waiting outside for him and told him where Temari's room was. Shikamaru stood off to the side, watching the two. Kankuro saw him of course, and immediately ran to him.

"What the hell did you do to my sister?" he snarled, lifting Shikamaru by his shirt.

"I don't even know. They won't let me near her room, and no one will tell me anything." Shikamaru said. Kankuro threw him down.

"I never liked you kid. When I find out what happened, you're gonna die."

"Why not kill me now?"

"I need to see how bad I need to make it." Kankuro said, walking into the hospital. He made his way to Temari's room and knocked on it.

"Hello?" came Ino's voice.

"Ino, it's Kankuro. Can I come in?"

"Of course. Come on." Ino said. Kankuro took a deep breath and stepped in. His eyes found his sister, and she didn't look too bad. Two days of Sakura and Tsunade healing her ensured minimal scaring and bruising. Ino noticed Kankuro's worry and turned to Temari.

"Do you want me to tell him?" she asked. Temari honestly didn't think she could tell Kankuro herself. She was afraid of his reaction. She nodded and turned her head away.

"Please, sit down Kankuro." Ino said. Kankuro sat down in a chair next to Temari and kept his eyes on his sister. "Okay, so Shikamaru, Asuma and a couple of other shinobi went on an emergency mission to protect a temple from the Akatsuki. The members Hidan and Kakuzu were there and Asuma was killed in battle. Shikamaru got drunk before coming back to the village and went to Temari's apartment. He tried to force his way in and Temari fought back. So he used his Shadow Possession technique and wailed on her." Ino explained. Kankuro's face contorted into one of rage. Ino looked at Temari, who nodded for her to continue. "T-Temari was also 3 weeks pregnant." Ino said. Kankuro's mouth dropped open.

"Pregnant? Really?" the sentence replayed itself over and over again in Kankuro's head. "... Wait. _Was_pregnant? Don't tell me that piece of shit-"

"Yeah, it's true." Ino finished. Kankuro looked at Temari, who was still not looking at him. He gently grabbed her chin and made her look at him. The tears streaming down her face confirmed it for him. Temari _never_cried unless she was feeling completely vulnerable, which had only happened once or twice in her entire life. Kankuro stood up and walked to the door.

"Where are you going?" Ino asked.

"Isn't it obvious? To kill a bastard."

"Kankuro, please don't. If you do that, a war will break out between our villages. I just lost my child; I don't want anyone else to die right now. Trust me, I want to rip Shikamaru apart but the consequence is what's stopping me." Temari pleaded. Kankuro stopped and turned to her.

"He made you cry. Am I supposed to just do nothing?" Kankuro asked, his fists shaking.

"Kankuro please. We'll find a way to make him pay, just listen to Temari." Ino said. Kankuro growled, but he hesitantly went back to Temari's side.

"I want to go home as soon as possible. Can we leave in an hour?" Temari asked.

"I think that's all the time I'll be able to stand being in this village without breaking that guy. So yeah, rest up." Kankuro said. Temari nodded and laid back down.

"I have to go to work, or my mom is gonna kill me. If I can't make it to see you off, I hope you have a good rest of your life Tema. I'm really gonna miss you." Ino said, getting up to hug her.

"Thanks for everything Ino." she said, hugging her back. Ino smiled and left.

"God, Gaara is gonna go crazy, isn't he?" Temari sighed.

"Gaara has gained better self control over the years. But we see you as precious. You're like a mother to us, along with being our sister. If he finds out you got hurt..." Kankuro trailed off, imagining what Gaara would possibly do.

"Jeez."

* * *

An hour later, Temari was discharged from the hospital. It still hurt to walk, so she rode on Kankuro's back. At the gate, Tsunade, Sakura, Choji, Shikaku, Inoichi, and Naruto waited to see them off.

"We have enjoyed having you in the village. We all will miss you Temari." Tsunade said.

"Say hi to Gaara for me." Naruto said. The siblings nodded and left. Little did they know, Shikamaru stood far away, watching the two leave.

"Shikamaru, we need to talk." Ino said, grabbing him by his shirt and dragging him away. Shikamaru still didn't know what happened or why Temari was leaving. Ino took him to a rooftop where they wouldn't be seen, and where they could watch the siblings leave. Ino explained everything that happened, not skipping a single detail. She watched Shikamaru's face change from shocked, to sad, to just plain disgusted.

"I did what?"

"Yeah you idiot. You fucked up, and now she's never coming back!" Ino screamed, tears in her eyes.

"I... I never meant for this to happen. But Asu-"

"Don't give me that shit. Asuma was my sensei too, but you don't see me, or even Choji doing stupid things!"

"You didn't see him die!" Shikamaru yelled. "The way he died, it was too much. I just wanted to do something to forget what I had to see." Ino slapped him.

"That still doesn't give you an excuse to do what you did. It's like you're standing here trying to justify killing your child Shikamaru!"

"... Ino, I don't know what I can do. If I could take it all back, I would."

"But you can't. Besides, there's nothing you could do. Just leave her be and hope she can move on from this." Ino said, turning and walking away.

* * *

Okay. Hope you all liked it. Remember, this is the prologue to Petals in the wind, so go check it out if you haven't yet.


End file.
